


Footprints

by what_am_i_even_doing_tho



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27117334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_am_i_even_doing_tho/pseuds/what_am_i_even_doing_tho
Summary: Merlin takes a pleasant walk through the woods, but he soon realizes that it would've been better if he had just stayed home.(No spoilers!)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Footprints

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written horror before, so please don't burn me at the stake if it sucks. I realize that it's cheesy, and that the concept is overdone, but I just needed to write something to try to get back into the swing of things. It's been over a month since I've written, this isn't edited, and I had no idea where I was going with it, so forgive me if it doesn't make much sense.

The air was still and crisp, the smell of winter all around. Snow crunched lightly under Merlin’s worn boots as he walked, and his breath fogged in front of him with every exhale. A sense of peace had blanketed the world, the silence and tranquility calming after the hustle and bustle of the castle. He sighed in contentment and stopped to admire the serenity that only winter could bring, and then tilted his head in confusion when the sound of footfalls continued despite the fact that he was standing still. He scanned his surroundings, assuming that there was someone else around, but aside from a bird flying high in the sky, he was entirely alone. Shrugging to himself, he chalked it up to the stress of the job getting to him, and he inhaled deeply, letting the solitude calm his thoughts.

After a moment more, he continued, heading deeper into the forest and further away from Camelot. The sun traveled lazily through the sky, and around noon Merlin spotted some hellebores poking through the snow in a cluster near the base of a large tree. He detoured off his path and crouched down to get a closer look. Just as he reached out to stroke the soft petals, he heard a faint sigh from behind him. Whipping around with a hand raised, ready to cast a spell in defense, he was surprised to see that there was no one there. Slowly standing up, he reached out with his magic, trying to feel if anything was wrong. His search proved fruitless, and he chuckled wryly to himself, thinking he must’ve been even more high-strung than he had thought.

Shaking his head as if to shake away his sudden bout of paranoia, he turned back to the hellebores and smiled. The sight of the delicate-looking flowers persisting in even the harshest of conditions filled him with hope and joy; the wonders of nature never ceased to amaze him, and he felt infinitely lucky that he was here to bear witness to them. Deciding that this was a good place to take a break from his walk, Merlin used his magic to clear a small patch of snow near the flowers and then dry the ground. He settled in, gaze on the clear, blue sky, and leaned back against the tree. He watched a few stray clouds float by and was soon lulled into a gentle sleep.

Merlin was startled awake after what couldn’t have been more than an hour when a harsh tugging on his foot jostled him. Eyes flying open, he instinctively used his magic to push away whatever had grabbed him, but when he looked for his attacker, all he could see was snow and trees. Breathing heavily, he reached out with his magic again and examined his surroundings closely, using all of his senses to find what he was looking for. To his great puzzlement, the only living thing within the vicinity was a squirrel that was too far away to have been what awoke him. The peace from earlier evaporated, replaced with the slippery sensation of unease creeping up his spine, but having nothing to prove otherwise, Merlin figured it had simply been a bad dream.

Looking up once more and seeing that there was still plenty of time before the sun began to set, but not feeling comfortable enough to venture further away from home, he settled on walking perpendicular to the trail he had been previously taking. A few more hours passed with nothing out of the ordinary happening, but a chill that couldn’t be explained by the cold had set in his bones, making him tense up and look around nervously. As he walked, he would find that he had slowly started traveling deeper into the forest, and each time he noticed he would adjust accordingly. With growing frustration, Merlin decided that enough was enough and made his way back towards Camelot. Becoming lost in thought, he imagined the hot meal that awaited him and picked up the pace.

A few minutes later, a rustling sound startled him, and he looked to the left to see a great stag running towards him. He quickly stepped back, watching with awed eyes as the majestic creature approached. It came to a halt in front of him, observing Merlin with its intelligent gaze. He took another step back, trying to exude calm so that the stag wouldn’t bolt, and froze when he heard his footsteps echo again. The stag seemed to have heard it too, looking past Merlin instead of at him, and a small gasp of fear punched its way out of his lungs. Slowly, he turned his head, bracing himself for a fight. Instead of a bandit or a rogue sorcerer standing behind him like he expected, he was greeted by the sight of empty air.

A snort drew his attention forward again, and he saw the stag toss its head and dart off into the woods. Merlin watched its departure until he could no longer make it out between the trees, and then taking in his surroundings, he noticed that he was further from Camelot than he had been earlier. Annoyed and frightened, he cast out his magic once more, hoping that he could find some sort of explanation, but expecting to find nothing. Surprisingly, he felt something tug at his magic, pulling him deeper into the woods. Struck with slight dread, he tried to walk towards Camelot and instead found himself headed towards whatever was pulling his magic.

Rolling his eyes with a bravado he didn’t feel, Merlin decided that if something wanted him to follow, he would follow. He swiftly began to regret his decision as the sound of someone else breathing nearby grew louder and louder, and the feel of something snagging at his clothes became more frequent. Whatever had gotten a hold of him was tightening its grip, and no matter how hard he tried to turn away or sever the link his magic had created, all he could do was move forward. His feet hastened of their own volition, and before he knew it, he was sprinting through the trees, racing towards the source of it all.

Suddenly, he was no longer seeing the forest as it was. The snow around him had turned black and sludgy, and blood seemed to ooze from the trees instead of sap. The sky above looked wrong, and it took him a moment to realize that it was because it was broken, pieces of it dangling by a thread and then and tumbling to the ground. Cries of agony pierced the air, and distantly Merlin realized that one of the voices was his own. He broke through the line of trees and found himself at a crimson lake, and the force that had been pulling him sent him crashing to his knees. The world spun around him, and then the sky was no longer above him, but below him. He fell and fell and fell and then finally landed, hitting the snow with a thud.

A blinding pain pierced Merlin’s chest, and the last thing he saw before the world went black was a second set of footprints overlapping his.

**Author's Note:**

> Hellebore- serenity, tranquility, peace; anxiety
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
